Local students get peek at YPG testing
It was a sight to see on Wednesday morning for local high school students who got to witness a military vehicle crushing a car at Yuma Proving Ground.
The demonstration was part of many test activities students got to see at YPG. Ultimately, the purpose of the visit was to encourage youths to consider career choices in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
“In the last few years there has been a greater push for promoting STEM out in our schools,” said YPG STEM program manager Iris Espinoza. “One of the driving factors in that was that as we engaged with students, we realized not a lot of them knew not only what YPG did, but also what engineering was. In the process we’ve been attending elementary, middle and high schools.”
According to Espinoza, the STEM outreach program began about five years ago in the spring of 2013. It started, she noted, as a way to show the students what one can do in Yuma with an engineering degree.
“They take a look at what we do,” she said. “The students take a look at some of the items we test, how we test them and they also engage with our engineers. We feel that the one-on-one time that they get with the engineers is very impactful in ensuring that this may be the career that they choose to follow.
“We found it very useful to have them talk to some of our very recent graduates — some of our new hires who had just been in their shoes in the last few years,” she added.
During the day, students got to see firsthand how scientific principles are used on a daily basis at YPG. In total, 141 students from San Luis, Gila Ridge, Yuma Catholic, Kofa and Cibola High
schools were in attendance for the day’s activities. The event spanned four hours, and the students got to take a tour and were taken to four different locations to learn about different aspects of YPG, from aviation to ammunition and weapons.
Students came in waves of separate groups from each school, with the first being from Cibola High School. Each year, Espinoza said a new batch of students gets to visit YPG as part of the STEM outreach. All of the students who attended this year are also currently enrolled in the Engineering 102 class, which gives them dual credit at their high schools and at Arizona Western College.
Ian Salgado, a 17-year-old Cibola High School student, said he first enrolled in the class after being told by his counselor that engineering combines two subjects he loves — math and science. The student added that since he has Type 1 diabetes, he has an interest in biomedical engineering.
His visit to YPG, however, educated him on the different, local options, he noted.
“It’s really nice to learn about all the engineering jobs that are here in Yuma, even if they aren’t necessarily biomedical engineering,” he said. “It’s nice to know there are options here in Yuma.”
Salgado said the STEM outreach day was also the first time he visited YPG.
“I always heard about the military base being here and the YPG tests, but I never really thought of it,” he said. “But when you come out here and you see all the tanks and you see the planes flying, it really makes you think how important Yuma is.”
Cibola High engineering teacher Steven Fritz noted that Salgado was not the only student who visited YPG for the first time on Wednesday.
“They live 30 minutes away, and on the bus we asked, ‘How many of you have been out here?’ and not one kid raised their hand,” he said. “The main takeaway from this is just exposing them so they can see what’s available.”
YPG Commander Col. Ross Poppenberger added that seeing the equipment in action and speaking with YPG engineers and technicians is a way for the students to see a different side of a career path.
“The students get to learn that it’s not just being an engineer, sitting in a cubicle crunching numbers,” he said. “It’s real, touch-feel stuff, and it’s getting out and getting involved. There is a great path to a great job here in Yuma, and Yuma is hiring — Yuma Proving Ground is hiring — and we want those smart minds to come work for us here at YPG.”